Clear Skies
by Imadra Blue
Summary: After returning from Hueco Mundo, Ichigo takes a moment to appreciate the sky--and Orihime. Het.


**Pairing:** Ichigo/Orihime  
**Disclaimer:** _Bleach_ is the property of Tite Kubo. No copyright infringement is intended.  
**Written For**: Pectus Pectoris for the drabble meme.  
**Note:** I took a break from _Bleach_ a few months ago, so this is only compliant through Chapter 378. Concrit is welcome on any of my fics.

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Despite the chill air, the sun shone brightly. Once he reached the dead center of the park, Ichigo lay on the grass and stared up at the blue sky. It seemed the sky knew nothing of what he had done in Hueco Mundo. It remained bright and clear, oblivious to how its sunlight made Aizen's shadow all the sharper and clearer in contrast.

Inoue leaned over him, blocking the light. Though her face seemed dark, turned as it was from the sun, her smile was bright. In the past few weeks since they had returned from Hueco Mundo, she had exchanged tears for smiles again.

"Kurosaki-kun! How can you nap at a time like this?"

Ichigo stared at her. A dark bruise purpled on her neck—he wondered who had given it to her and how. Despite how hard they had trained since their return, something in his chest stirred at the evidence of someone having done violence to Inoue. "Napping? I'm staring at the sky."

Inoue adjusted her scarf to cover her neck, as if she sensed Ichigo's thoughts, and glanced up at the sky. "But why? There are no clouds to today."

"Why would I need clouds?"

"That's the point of staring at the sky, isn't it? I love watching clouds. They take all sorts of shapes, like little models made of whipped cream. Yesterday, there were clouds, and I saw a banana cream pie with thirteen radish slices with a sake cup full of soy sauce for dipping and a nice daikon grating. It made me very hungry."

There were some things in life that Ichigo could not comprehend, and Inoue's taste in food was one of them. He stared at her, trying to recover his wits as his stomach churned. "You saw all that, huh?" he asked as he stood.

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot the red bean dollop in the center. See? Clouds make the sky interesting."

"I don't know." Ichigo glanced up at the endless blue expanse of the sky. "It seems more interesting to me without the clouds." It filled him with gladness, actually, to find something untouched by Aizen's evil. Its purity calmed him.

Inoue fell quiet for a moment and studied Ichigo before speaking again. "Are you hungry, Kurosaki-kun? I have vanilla and red miso soup in a thermos, if you are. It should still be hot." She smiled then, apparently unaware of how much effort it took Ichigo to restrain his impulse to retch.

"Uh, that sounds interesting, but why don't we head back to my house for a real meal, instead? Yuzu is making dinner. I'm sure she'll be able to do something with that soup of yours." Which Ichigo fervently hoped involved the garbage disposal.

Inoue stared at him, generous lips parted. She blinked those big brown eyes at Ichigo, and he found his face heating response. "You are inviting me to your house? For dinner?" She sounded out of breath, as if she had ran a marathon since Ichigo spoke.

"Well, yeah. I guess I just did." Ichigo paused and thought of his father. He winced, imagining his father seizing Inoue around the waist and weeping into her ample bosom while expressing his joy over Ichigo becoming a man and bringing home such a gorgeous girlfriend. He slapped his hand against his face. He would have to suffer through. It would be worth it, if only Inoue kept smiling.

"Oh. You're changing your mind." Inoue swallowed and then smiled again, though not as brightly. "That's all right. I'll eat my soup here. Hot soup on a cold day is nice, don't you think?" She turned away then, as if to leave.

Ichigo grabbed Inoue by the wrist and spun her around. "No, no. I wasn't changing my mind. I'd love for you to come to my house for dinner." He paused and realized he was _touching_ her. His entire body warmed, and he dropped her wrist before his face caught fire.

Inoue smiled, and for that moment, her smile eclipsed the sun. "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun. I would love to go with you."

Ichigo smiled back, and he realized what he found so fascinating about a cloudless sky. It reminded him of Inoue: clear and pure, innocent of the evil beneath her. Though she had wept long and hard in Hueco Mundo, the clouds had passed, and she shone brightly once again. Ichigo felt a swell of pride in his chest, for having helped return her smile to her, no matter how much he had sacrificed to do so.

"Let's go," he whispered. They walked to his house, side-by-side, with the sun shining on their backs.

_End._


End file.
